Department for Transport

Driving: Licensing

baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 26 June (HL16465), what assessment they have made of the case for introducing a target time for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to (1) send out questionnaires to doctors to confirm the fitness of someone to drive after having received a request for a licence to be reinstated, and (2) make a decision once it has received a questionnaire back from a doctor, to ensure that the DVLA are delivering an efficient service.

baroness vere of norbiton: There are no plans to introduce additional target times for activities within the medical application process. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) dealt with around 750,000 medical cases in 2017/18 and aims to complete 90 per cent of these within 90 working days. In the financial year 2018-19 the DVLA completed 91.7% of cases within 90 working days.The DVLA aims to deal with all cases as efficiently and as quickly as possible. The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition involved and whether information is needed from medical professionals.

Northern: Rolling Stock

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government why it will not be possible to complete the removal of Pacer trains from the Northern rail network by 31 December.

baroness vere of norbiton: Northern Rail is planning to remove the first pacer in August, and is working to remove all of the pacers by the end of the year. Due to delays in manufacturing of new trains, a small number of pacers may continue on the network into the beginning of the new year to ensure a stable service for passengers. Our absolute priority is ensuring passengers in the north benefit from new trains, more services and increased capacity as quickly as possible. People across the north are starting to see new trains across the network, alongside the extra 2000 services a week already delivered.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to transfer maintenance and litter collection on all-purpose trunk roads to the Highways Agency.

baroness vere of norbiton: As outlined in the Government’s Litter Strategy published in 2017, we proposed to consider, if needed, additional powers for the Secretary of State to make this transfer of responsibility and funding to Highways England, and consider how to provide a mechanism to recover the cost of these activities from local authorities.

Connect Plus

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by Highways England not to impose financial penalties on Connect Plus M25 Ltd for failing to meet contractual maintenance standards in the four-year period to June 2018.

baroness vere of norbiton: Highways England’s contract with Connect Plus M25 Ltd allows payment deductions to be made based on the measured condition of the road surface and the rectification of certain types of defects. During the four-year period to June 2018, payment deductions relating to the condition of the network and rectification of defects have been fully applied in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Roads: Litter

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions have been applied to service providers by Highways England for failure to collect litter in 2018.

baroness vere of norbiton: The performance of Highways England service providers in relation to litter is measured against the grades of cleanliness defined within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse.Each Highways England region manages its own maintenance contract and any failure to meet contractual obligations would trigger sanctions under the contract. In 2018 there have been no reported incidents of sanctions being applied in relation to litter, apart from the East Midlands, where payments to a service provider were withheld until evidence was provided that cleanliness had been brought up to standard.

Tyres: Safety

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 13 June (HL16129), what scientific studies, if any, were the basis for determining that the maximum safe life of a tyre on a heavy goods vehicle or coach is 10 years.

baroness vere of norbiton: The revision to the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, introduced on 5 November 2018, included best practice guidance on managing the age of tyres fitted to heavy vehicles. It followed earlier Department for Transport advice, issued to bus and coach operators, in response to expert evidence provided to Her Majesty’s Coroner following the loss of three lives in a road traffic collision in 2012. In parallel, emerging evidence from Department for Transport research, suggested that age does influence the properties of a tyre. This emerging evidence, together with expert opinion, supported the use of the precautionary principle for the changes to the roadworthiness guidance.

Large Goods Vehicles: Tyres

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many heavy goods vehicles that are less than 10 years old have suffered a tyre failure incident on the M25 motorway in the last six-month period for which data are available.

baroness vere of norbiton: Neither Highways England, nor the Department, hold the detailed statistics requested. However, the Department recently launched a consultation on proposals to ban 10 year old tyres on certain vehicles, such as HGVs. I encourage all interested parties to provide feedback on the consultation. The Department for Transport remains committed to improving safety on the Strategic Road Network and note that England’s roads are amongst the safest in Europe.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the reasons for the recent fall in sales of low-emission vehicles.

baroness vere of norbiton: So far in 2019, sales of battery electric vehicles have increased significantly, up by 60% over the same period in 2018. Our Road to Zero Strategy sets out a clear pathway to zero emissions, to give clarity and certainty to both industry and motorists. In 2018 the UK was the second largest market for ultra-low emission vehicles in the EU. The UK is also global leader in the development and manufacture of electric vehicles; in 2018 a fifth of battery electric cars sold in Europe were made in the UK.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce long-term incentives to increase sales of low-emission vehicles to help meet carbon reduction targets.

baroness vere of norbiton: Government grants for plug-in cars, vans, taxis and motorcycles will be available until at least 2020, reducing the upfront purchase price of electric vehicles. The plug-in car grant was first introduced in 2011 and the other schemes in the years since. Purchasers of ultra-low-emission vehicles also receive other benefits, including lower tax rates and grants towards the installation of charge-points. A number of local authorities also provide additional incentives, such as free parking or exemption from the congestion charge. We stated in our Road to Zero strategy that consumer incentives in some form will continue to play a role beyond 2020. We also set out ambitions for the uptake of ultra-low-emission vehicles in the UK. We remain on track to meet these ambitions and will review progress by 2025. In addition, as announced this week, to accelerate the shift to zero-emission cars, all zero-emission models will pay no company car tax in 2020-21, 1% in 2021-22 before returning to the planned 2% rate in 2022-23 – a significant tax saving for employees and employers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Lead: Theft

lord alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatwere the estimated replacement costs for lead stolen from churches in England in each of the last five years.

lord alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with English Heritage about the replacement of lead stolen from church roofs; and whether they raised in any such discussions the option to replace such lead with materials of a similar appearance but less value.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government are not party to information on the replacement costs for lead stolen from churches in England, as this is the responsibility of local congregations. We have not had discussions with Historic England regarding the replacement of lead stolen from church roofs, nor the use of alternative materials in their replacement. Government currently provides support to churches throughout the UK via the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which is presently funded to a maximum of £42m per annum. Established in 2001, the scheme provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs, maintenance and alterations to listed buildings that are used principally as places of worship.

Arts

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the needs and requirements of (1) authors, and (2) the creative industries, in regard to the UK's future relationship with the EU.

lord ashton of hyde: The UK publishing industry is world leading, using the written word to educate, entertain and inform. Leaving the EU will not change that. In 2016, the publishing industry exported over £2.5 billion in goods and over £2.3 billion in services. DCMS is working closely with industry and others across Government to ensure that the creative industries benefit from the UK’s future trade agreements, including our future economic partnership with the European Union. We have also proposed a wide-reaching agreement on culture which will facilitate cooperation between the UK and the EU. We will continue to deepen this engagement over the coming months.

TikTok

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the social media application TikTok and the safeguarding implications for young people of its use.

lord ashton of hyde: The government wants the UK to be the safest place in the world to go online. As set out in the Online Harms White Paper the government will take action to tackle content or activity that harms individual users, particularly children. We will establish a new statutory duty of care, overseen by an independent regulator to make companies take more responsibility for the safety of their users and tackle harm caused by content or activity on their services. The regulator will take a risk-based approach, prioritising action where there is the greatest evidence or threat of harm, or where children or other vulnerable users are at risk. Ahead of the implementation of the new regulatory framework, we will continue to encourage companies to take early action to address online harms. With regards to the social media application TikTok, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has a live investigation on TikTok’s compliance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) relating to the protection of children’s personal data. The GDPR is regulated and enforced by the independent ICO, and as such, the government is unable to comment further on live investigations.

Advertising: Internet

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the market power held by online platforms on competition in the advertising sector.

lord ashton of hyde: Digital markets, including online advertising, are an increasingly important part of everyday life and it's vital that we ensure they work for everyone - citizens, businesses and society as a whole. As part of the Cairncross Review into the future sustainability of the UK press, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) published independent analysis on the structure of the online advertising sector, which is available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cairncross-review-a-sustainable-future-for-journalism In line with the Cairncross and Furman Review recommendations, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a market study into online platforms and the digital advertising market that will assess the market power held by online platforms. This will complement the forthcoming DCMS review of online advertising regulation and government's response to the recommendations made by the Cairncross Review. This CMA study comes at a pivotal time, as we look to promote competition in digital markets while ensuring that consumers benefit from new technology and innovation. The findings will be invaluable in helping us better understand the evolving digital landscape and complement our wider work, including the upcoming Competition Green Paper on opening up digital markets.

Fast Food: Advertising

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to regulate fast-food advertisements.

lord ashton of hyde: We want to reduce children’s exposure to advertising for products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), including fast food where applicable, so have consulted on introducing a 9pm watershed on TV and similar protection online, as well as other possible options. Despite strict restrictions already being in place to prohibit HFSS product advertising around children’s programming, and similar protection online, evidence suggests children are still exposed to significant levels of HFSS advertising across the media they engage with most. There is no lead option in our consultation and we will be led by the evidence in determining the way forward. The consultation closed last month, and is available to view at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/further-advertising-restrictions-for-products-high-in-fat-salt-and-sugar. We are carefully considering responses and will respond as soon as possible.

Department for Education

Technology: Training

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to re-train low-skilled workers tohelp them gain employmentin the technology sector.

lord agnew of oulton: The National Retraining Scheme is part of the government’s response to the transforming world of work, where jobs are continually changing because of technological changes. This scheme targets adults whose jobs might be at risk from future changes to the economy, such as changes brought about by automation. It will offer them the support that they need to retrain into a better job.For many adults, the lack of sound basic skills will be a significant barrier to being able to apply for most jobs and develop their careers. Without such skills, they may struggle to progress from low or unskilled roles.That is why we also provide full funding for learners who need English and maths skills to undertake a range of courses in GCSEs, Functional Skills and stepping stone qualifications from entry level to level 2, and from 2020 selected essential digital skills courses will also be fully funded.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dangerous Dogs

lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many attacks on (1) guide dogs, and (2) other assistance dogs, were reported in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, and (c) 2018; and what penalties were imposed for such attacks.

lord gardiner of kimble: In 2015, the Government amended section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to specifically make it an offence to allow a dog to attack an assistance dog. The maximum penalty for such an offence is three years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both. Information on the number of guide dog or other assistance dog attacks is not collated centrally, and information on the penalties imposed as a result of a conviction under section 3 of the Act does not specify whether the offence was specifically in relation to an assistance dog.